Alright, well, Microsoft Word has decided it hates me, so I'm gonna give WordPerfect a shot. Hopefully it'll all work out. Anyway, I feel really good about this story and I'm glad to finally find some time to get back to it. Seriously, I haven't had this much ease in creating a story since 'Prisoners.' For example, many of you may have noticed that most of my stories usually get to about chapter 7 and bottom out after that. I have great faith that such an incident will most definitely not occur with this story! I just can't wait to get going and really sink my teeth into this one! I'm really counting on this story to be a smash-hit and restore me to my former 'Prisoners' glory!

Oh! And did I mention that I got the special three-disc 'Pirates of the Caribbean' DVD for x-mas?! As well as the Inuyasha movie and two YYH DVD's! I am officially the happiest girl in the world at this moment! So now it's my turn to make you happy! ON WITH THE FIC!

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Kurama sprinted down the hall, completely abandoning his usual demeanor in a flurry of worry and fear. With none of his normal grace, he threw opened the doors to Koenma's office, skidding to a halt in front of the young ruler's desk. Koenma looked up in surprise, shocked to see his usually calm and cool-headed general so uncharacteristically shaken up.

"Kurama? What is it?" Koenma asked nervously, fear dripping from his voice despite his best efforts to hide it.

"Hiei's ship!" Kurama exclaimed. He didn't actually shout, but his voice held more urgency then a scream could ever convey. "We must drag the harbor for Hiei's ship!"

"Hiei?' Koenma asked, "you mean that pirate you arrested earlier? Captain Jaganshi?"

"Yes," Kurama concurred with a quick nod. "It is imperative that we remove his ship from our harbor immediately!"

"Why? What's wrong?" Koenma asked, standing up in concern. Kurama stood silently for a moment, collecting his thoughts and wondering what would be the shortest way to tell his lord the story. And more importantly, how to begin.

"Hiei's crew," he finally began in a slow, quite tone, "was killed by the Dark Fleet–" Koenma gasped, his face draining of all color as he flopped back into his chair, "–but Hiei got away in his damaged boat. Unfortunately, he brought a chest of General Sakyo's gold back with him."

"General Sakyo?!" Koenma nearly screamed, jumping to his feat once more. Kurama nodded and Koenma laid a shaky hand on his desk to steady himself. "And...and that chest is on that pirate, Jaganshi's ship...at the bottom of our harbor?" Kurama only nodded again. Koenma collapsed into his chair for a final time, paler then ever.

"Do you think..." Koenma began, but found himself unwilling to even consider the end of that sentence. Still, as much as he feared the answer, he knew it was something he had to ask in order to take adequate precautions against the situation. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he forced himself to continue. "Do you think they know where the chest is?"

"I'm afraid so," Kurama answered. "Sakyo places homing devices on all of his property. He doesn't take being stolen from lightly." Koenma sighed. Here was another question he didn't particularly want to hear the answer to. "Do you have any idea how long we have before..." Koenma trailed off, his mouth going dry at the very thought of what Sakyo would do when he arrived. Most of the island's inhabitants were humans...no one would be able to defend themselves.

"That is why we must retrieve the chest now," Kurama prompted. "If Sakyo arrives before we can get hold of the chest, he will think we are withholding his property from him. Our best chance at a peaceful encounter is to return his chest to him as soon as he lands."

Koenma nodded, some of the color returning to his face as he deemed the crisis under control. He stood up, straitening his attire as he strolled to the window. He should have known that Kurama was more then capable of handling this.

"Alright," Koenma said, feeling his heartbeat begin to calm as his confidence in solving the problem quickly grew. "Drag the harbor for the ship and get that chest. In the mean time...all of Captain Jaganshi's meals are to be withheld." Kurama's eyes widened and he took a step froward.

"Lord Koenma–"

"Don't argue," Koenma interrupted. "My father is already going to be furious when he hears about this mess. But he'll have my head if he finds out that I did nothing to punish the one responsible. Besides," Koenma continued with a sigh, "he is a pirate after all and scheduled to be hanged soon."

"Pirate or not, he was half dead with starvation this morning. If you refuse to give him food, he will die long before the hanging. Is not the death he is already facing more then enough punishment for whatever crimes he has committed? Is it truly necessary to drag that death out anymore then you have to?" Kurama wasn't sure why he was fighting so desperately for this pirate. He had never shown this kind of mercy to any other pirate he had ever met. Indeed, had Hiei been anyone else, Kurama would have most certainly agreed wholeheartedly with Koenma's sentence.

Koenma shook his head. "I'm afraid my hands are tied. If I don't do this now, Father will kill Jaganshi himself as soon as the gets word of this, not to even mention what he'll do to me... Now you'd best get that chest out of the harbor." For a long moment there was no answer from the red head and Koenma turned, concerned. "Kurama?"

Kurama stood completely still, his fiery bangs concealing his eyes. Without another word he bowed respectfully to his lord and left the room.

(xxx)

Hiei seethed silently in his cell, burning a hole into the cell wall with his blood red gaze. Just a few minutes ago, a group of guards had come and relieved him of all his food. He wasn't about to openly admit how hungry he was...but Gods he was starved! Despite the amount of food he had eaten after waking up, it hadn't been nearly enough to make up for the meals he had missed over the last week.

He laid back on the bed as a loud growl form his semi-empty stomach filled the room. He gritted his teeth at such a sign of weakness, but knew that there was nothing he could do about it. His stomach continued to gnaw loudly and painfully at him as a familiar wave of dizziness made his head swim. He had to get out of here soon!

"Here boy! Here doggy! See what a big, juicy bone Uncle Jacky has for you! Come on boy! Come to Uncle Jacky!" a voice came from the next cell, accompanied by a flood of whistles. Hiei sighed. There was only one other pirate in the dungeons and Hiei would have killed him long ago if he had his sword...and the strength to get up. The guards, none of them wanting to stay and watch the prisoners, had given the keys to a very stubborn dog that liked to sit just out of reach, ring of keys dangling freely from its mouth. Hiei's neighbor, who was a green-skinned demon and was apparently called Jack, had been trying to coax the dog over to him with a bone he had found in his cell ever since that General Minamino had left. He had only stopped once, when the guards had come to take Hiei's food.

"Come on, there's a good boy. We'll trade. Just give Uncle Jacky the keys and Jacky will give you the bone. Sound fair? Come on boy!"

Hiei gave a sigh that was half a growl and forced himself up, hissing in annoyance when his legs threatened to give out the moment he stood, black dots swimming before his eyes. Somehow, me made it to the bars and, leaning heavily against them, looked to his right. He could see 'Uncle Jacky' pressed against the bars of his cell, hand outstretched before him holding a thigh bone that looked human.

"That stupid dog is not going to move," Hiei said in a low but fierce tone, his words slow and powerful. "No matter what you do, it's just going to sit there and stare at you, so will you please just accept that and shut up?!"

"Gees mate, what's your problem?" Uncle Jacky inquired, turning to match Hiei's glare. In moments, however, the glare melted into a careless grin. "Ah, you're probably right matey, but there's no harm in trying, is there?"

Despite Hiei's low energy level, he could feel the Jagan on his forehead burning with power. No harm?! Well of course there wasn't any harm, aside from the fact that Hiei was about two 'Here boy's away from torching the whole damned dungeon, Uncle Jacky, dog, and all.

"Come on boy! Here boy!" Uncle Jacky turned his attention back to the dog, and that was it for Hiei. The white headband burst into flame and burned out of existence revealing a very wide and very pissed off-looking purple tinted eye. Uncle Jacky, feeling the wave of energy, side glanced at Hiei before letting out a yelp of fright and jumping back from the bars.

"N-now calm down there matey! I'll stop, I swear! Just relax!" Uncle Jacky cried in terror as he backed against the wall furthest from Hiei, never taking his eyes off the glowing Jagan. Hiei was far past the point of rational thinking. He knew that squandering his power would only make his inevitable death come faster, but this insolent demon had tested his temper and Hiei was in no mood to be tested! However, it seems that fate was on Uncle Jacky's side. Just as Hiei was about to unleash his wrath on the frightened and helpless demon who had tried his patience, something brought him back to reality, probably the only thing that could have done so. An all too familiar energy signature.

Breathing heavily and forcing himself to calm down, Hiei turned towards the cell's one tiny, bared window. He walked slowly towards it, catching the sound of faint, hurried footsteps as Uncle Jacky scampered into the back of his cell where Hiei wouldn't be able to see him, diving under the bed for cover no doubt.

As he arrived at the window, Hiei's vision swam as the adrenaline from his previous temper tantrum began to wear off. He stubbornly fought it off and forced himself to focus on the horizon. Finding his crimson eyes unwilling to cooperate, he closed them in favor of using his third eye instead.

The vision he received from the Jagan was high in the air, from a bird's vantage point, and tinted with green. He searched forward, out over the sea. He continued until he could see the ships, forcing himself to go even further to get a good closeup view. There were three ships in all, arranged in a 'V' with the largest one in front. The flag billowing from each of the ships was the same and unmistakable. A demon's horned scull that seemed to grin madly from the fabric. Also, where most pirate flag's were black, this unique symbol of unparalleled power had a backdrop that was such a deep red that it was the very essence of blood.

"So," Hiei mused to himself as he took a spare stip of cloth from his pocket and resealed his Jagan, "They have arrived. I wonder how long these fools will last."